1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a machine tool, and more particularly, to a machine tool with a cover adaptable to the discharge of chips produced by the operation of the machine tool by means of a cutting fluid or a conveyor, whichever is available.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a machine tool, chips produced during machining adhere to or are deposited inside a metal plate cover that covers a machining area or on the surface of another cover component. In order to continue normal use of the machine tool, the adhering or deposited chips must be removed. In doing this, the chips are generally washed away by a cutting fluid and collected in a cutting fluid supply device.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-94940 discloses a relevant prior art in which castings of a machine tool are formed with inclined portions and chips are collected by causing a cutting fluid to flow along the inclined portions. Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-183652 discloses a technique in which a splash guard is provided with grooves, a table is surrounded by an inclined groove, and chips are collected by causing a cutting fluid to flow from an elevated part of the groove to a sunken part.
In the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-94940 described above, however, feed mechanisms for a table are disposed outside side covers and connected to the side surfaces of the table by passing through the side covers. Thus, there are problems of sealing of cutting fluid and production of chips at a portion of the side cover through which the feed mechanism passes through. Since no feed mechanism is located in the center, moreover, the table feed accuracy may possibly be reduced. In the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-183652, furthermore, a channel through which the cutting fluid flows is comparatively long, as a result, the inclination of the groove is gentle so that effect of chip discharge is not sufficient.
Further, there is a known method of discharging chips by means of screw conveyors. Since the screw conveyors are installed in exclusively designed spaces, however, they cannot be easily made compatible with their counterparts in the case where no screw conveyors are used.